134 



GROUND GOURA. 



La petite Tourterelle de la Martinique. Buff. PI. Enl. 243./. 2. 

 Colombi-Galline Cocotzin, Temjyi. Pig. (Svo.) p. 425. 

 Ground-Dove. Catesb. Carol. I. pi. 2(%—Arct. ZooL 2. igi. — 



Lath. Gen. Syn. 4. 659. dg.—Lath. Syn. Sup. 100. — Wils. 



Amer. Orn. VI. p. 15. pL 46./. 2. male.y: 3. female. 



Length six inches and a quarter : beak pale 

 red, tipped with dusky : irides orange : the upper 

 parts of the head and neck are ash-coloured : the 

 back, rump, and upper tail-coverts the same, but 

 darker : the forehead, throat, fore-part of the neck, 

 breast, sides, belly, and under tail-coverts, vina- 

 ceous ; the feathers of the neck and breast spotted 

 with brown in their centres, giving those parts a 

 mottled appearance : part of the wing-coverts deep 

 ash ; the rest vinaceous, with several glossy green 

 spots : beneath the wing rufous : the quills are 

 rufous, with their outer margins and tips dusky : 

 the two middle tail-feathers deep ash-colour, the 

 others dusky : the legs red ; the claws dusky. The 

 female differs in being of a less vivid hue. 



This bird inhabits the warmer parts of America, 

 but mostly within the tropics, though occasionally 

 found in Carolina and the southern parts of Pen- 

 sylvania. With the rest of the genus it feeds upon 

 the ground like Partridges, makes a short flight, 

 and then alights on the ground again : it is gre- 

 garious, and feeds upon grain and seeds. 



